Here in Portland there’s been a blizzard and it’s quiet outside. Portland’s the perfect city to try an experiment: just for a day, stop all traffic. Cars, buses, trucks. To see what a difference it would make in the city’s sonic environment. I’m a big fan of reducing noise pollution; though our brains tend to block out background noise after a while, the constant clang and roar of traffic echoing through the city still affects us.

When it snows in a place like Portland, though, the city shuts down. The only cars that drive around are the ones with 4-wheel-drive and snow tires.

It’s so much quieter out there right now.

So good job, Portland. Let’s notice if we feel differently today, in the soft white quiet that’s suddenly settled in out there. Let’s breathe it in and walk in it, let the silence seep into our nervous systems, relax a little more. Let’s listen for the sounds that are there when the roar is gone.